Urdu-speaking
| مہاجر | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 30 million estimated | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Karachi, Hyderabad and many other large cities in Pakistan | |
| Languages | |
| Urdu and many other languages of India | |
| Religion | |
| Islam (mostly Sunni, minority Shia) |
The Muhajir people (also spelled Mahajir and Mohajir) (Urdu: مہاجر, Arabic: مهاجر) are Muslim immigrants, of multi-ethnic origin, and their descendants, who migrated from various regions of India after the Partition of India to settle in the newly independent state of Pakistan. Although many of them speak different languages at the native level, they are primarily identified as native Urdu speakers and hence are called Urdu-speaking people.
The Urdu term muhājir (Urdu: مہاجر) comes from the Arabic muhājir (Arabic: مهاجر), meaning an "immigrant", and the term is associated in early Islamic history to the migration of Muslims. After the independence of Pakistan, a significant number of Muslims emigrated or were out-migrated from territory that remained India. In the aftermath of partition, a huge population exchange occurred between the two newly formed states. In the riots which preceded the partition in the Punjab region, between 200,000 and 2 000,000 people were killed in the retributive genocide.UNHCR estimates 14 million Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims were displaced during the partition; it was the largest mass migration in human history.
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